Hodge Podge: Dinosaurs, Astronauts and Glow-in-the-Dark Goop: the 10 best baby sensory experiences!

So, Daisy turns 20 weeks this coming Thursday and I've noticed a steady increase in her demand to be constantly stimulated with new sights, sounds and textures.  I'm not one to break the bank with toys and gadgets and I am constantly looking for ways to entertain and educate her as she grows and becomes more interested in the world around her.

I am really excited to introduce Gude from Hodge Podge, who has written a guest post about the best sensory experiences for babies.  Her blog, as she will tell you, is dedicated to ideas for crafting with children and is a real inspiration - I can't wait to see what ideas she has for my little one!  So, for today, I will leave you in her capable hands as she counts down her top ten.

Hi, I’m Gude from Hodge Podge, where I blog about crafting with, and for children.  I am so excited to be guest-posting here at Life is Peachy!Emma, a thousand thank yous for having me!  In keeping with Emma’s philosophy of positive mother/parenthood and creative inspiration, I hope this post will encourage you to try some fun, simple, low-cost sensory experiences with your baby.

Do come and visit me at Hodge Podge or follow me on Twitter for more ideas HERE! 

Babies are adventurous little explorers and love to put anything and everything into their mouths – it’s their way of discovering and learning about the world around them.  Food is therefore a common first sensory experience.  My boys (AKA Pickle, 2 and Chops, 1) have fed themselves ‘real’ food since they moved on from milk and while Baby-Led Weaning is not for everyone (and makes a HECK of a lot of mess), it is utterly fascinating (and hilarious!) to watch babies discovering flavours like yoghurt, cherries, pasta bolognese and chicken and avocado for the first time…

Another sensory experience, which is fantastic for even very young babies, is massage.  Anna at Little Lotus explains that baby massage can help ‘lower stress levels in the body and help unsettled babies relax… increase body awareness and stimulate the nervous system’.  It’s also a really lovely way to bond with your baby.

So, if you’re keen to set up a more creative or unusual sensory experience for your baby, why not try one of the following ideas? 

1. Raspberry spaghetti from the Imagination Tree yum!

2. Space sensory tub from Totally Tots - Pickle would LOVE this!

3. Ice-play & painting at The Good Long Road - great for hot Summer days!

and a Giant dinosaur ice cube (wow, just wow!) from Crumb Bums 

4. Sensory bags (no mess!) from Growing a Jewelled Rose- the doyenne of sensory experience!

5. Wet newspaper from Hands On As We Grow – so quick, simple and easy!

6. Coloured & scented rice (tutorial) from Play Create Explore Chops would try to scoff this stuff, no doubt…

7. Beach in a box from Mama Pea Pod – I would love one of these myself in the garden!

8. Goop and Glowing Bubbles – another genius and original idea from Growing a Jewelled Rose.

9. Dinosaur sensory bin from Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes.  Older kids would enjoy this one too, right?

10. Flower sensory bottle (no mess!) from My Little 3 And Me how pretty is this?!

NOTE: Please don’t ever leave your baby unsupervised during this kind of activity, especially those involving water. 

Finally - be prepared that they may not enjoy the experience.  If they are frightened, or uncomfortable in any way, simply stop and try again when they are a little older. Pickle HATED sand until he was about 1, but he can’t get enough of the stuff now!

The Handmade Home: Knitting in a Free World!

A few days ago, my beau's younger brother made an off-the-cuff comment about knitting.  I can't remember exactly how it was termed, but the particulars included something to do with knitting being for both the 'sad' and the 'old'.  I perked up at this, defending us young, hip knitters and I was temporarily excused for my knitting obsession as I was now a 'mum'.  I started knitting when I was at University.

 

I don't think a lot of us crafters, knitters etc would be able to pin point a moment in life that we decided to put our intrigued fingers to work, neither could we give a reason why we do it.  I've only ever answered this sort of question to one thing; writing.  I said I write because I can't not write.  I suppose I knit for the same reason; I can't not do it.

 

Earlier in the month, I published a short beginner's tutorial to knitting, in the lovely online magazine for Peta's Vintage Boutique.  It was difficult to put these actions into words, as it's been a long time since I completed my first few stitched under the watchful eye of my Nan, a keen and talented knitter for many years.  That was where I got the bug, fast forward to present day and now, I have even more reason to go 'handmade'; there is nothing quite like watching Daisy man-handling (baby-handling) the sensory blanket I made for her.

You can find the original knitting tutorial here ---> http://www.petasvintageboutique.com/issue-2.html

I chose this Val Pierce-inspired sensory patchwork blanket as my first baby-project.  The different knitted textures and the daisies are great for little grabbing fingers and will, hopefully, become something of a comfort blanket for Daisy when she is a little older.  I chose to work with pastel, light colours to fit the Beatrix Potter theme in Daisy's nursery.  I was really pleased with how the colours blended together - Peter Rabbit's Blue, Jemima's Pink and Lilac and a soft baby Cream.   It worked wonders for the first few weeks after Daisy's birth, as we were hit with such cold, snowy weather and now it's great as a sensory object that remains familiar to her.

As an intermediate knitter, I found this blanket quite easy, the bulk of the blanket is made with simple garter and stocking stitches; these make for a very classic patchwork look.  The challenge lay in creating the daisies but I'm always up for a crafting challenge!  It's a great pattern for sitting in front of the TV, especially when I needed my mind taking off impending childbirth.  I'm now looking at adapting this pattern with different sensory objects and colours.  Results to follow!


I've got the handmade bug!  More posts to follow on 'handmaking' your home and nursery on Life is Peachy!

Are you interested in commissioning a sensory baby blanket?  Email missemmaberry@gmail.com for further information, costs etc.  I would love to hear from you!